What’s Up?

What We Really Think of Youth

“Have you ever thought of yourself as a junior angel crowned with glory and honor? Every one of our Father in Heaven’s children is great in His sight. If the Lord sees greatness in you, how then should you see yourself?”

Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Youth of the Noble Birthright,” Ensign, Nov. 1998, 74.

Write Away

Tell Us What’s Up

We’d love to have you share the interesting ideas and events that are going on in your classes and quorums with other readers of the New Era. Write in and tell us about what you and your friends are doing at Mutual or in seminary. Along with your story, remember to include some photographs of the activities too.

Send in your stories and photographs by going to newera.lds.org and clicking “Submit Material.”

Or send them by mail to:

New Era, What’s Up?

50 E. North Temple Street., Rm. 2420

Salt Lake City, UT 84150-0024

USA

Dance for Charity

Feeling the urge to get up and dance, friends Reagan N. and Lauren A. of Pennsylvania, USA, came up with the idea to organize a dance for all their friends. They also thought this would be a fun opportunity to fulfill a 10-hour Personal Progress value project for Choice and Accountability. They planned and organized everything needed, from invitations and decorations to refreshments and a disc jockey. But what made this dance stand apart from others is that this was a dance for charity.

Everyone attending the dance brought a nonperishable food item to act as an admission ticket. There was even a prize for the person who brought the most cans. The dance was a big success. Reagan and Lauren collected over 180 cans of food, which they donated to a local homeless shelter. They also completed a 10-hour project that helped the community and provided a fun evening for everyone who attended the dance.

Photograph courtesy of Reagan N.

My Favorite Scripture

D&C 121:7–9 “My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; and then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes. Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands.”

These verses are comforting to me when I am going through a trial that seems unbearable. It says, “Peace be unto thy soul,” so that tells me that Heavenly Father cares about me and wants me to be at peace.

Carly C., 16, Idaho, USA

Photograph courtesy of Carly C.

Tell us about your favorite scripture in a paragraph or two. Send it to us, along with a photo, by going to newera.lds.org and clicking “Submit Material.”

In a Word

Humility: To be humble is to recognize gratefully our dependence on the Lord—to understand that we have constant need for His support. Humility is an acknowledgment that our talents and abilities are gifts from God. It is not a sign of weakness, timidity, or fear; it is an indication that we know where our true strength lies. We can be both humble and fearless. We can be both humble and courageous.

Quote from Conference

“My young friends, we need tens of thousands of more missionaries in the months and years that lie ahead. They must come from an increased percentage of the Aaronic Priesthood who will be ordained, active, clean, and worthy to serve.”

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “We Are All Enlisted,” Ensign, Nov. 2011, 46.

Being Worthy for an Eternal Marriage

To achieve your goal of being married in the temple, you will need to be worthy of and obtain a temple recommend. To get your recommend, you’ll have an interview with a member of your bishopric or branch presidency and a member of your stake or mission presidency. They will ask you about:

Whether you strive to attend church, keep the covenants you have made, and keep your life in harmony with the commandments of the gospel.

If you have a problem with any of the things you will be asked about, then that is a good place to start in your preparations for an eternal marriage. (For more ideas, see page 42.)

Also consider that one advantage to marrying in the temple is that your spouse will also have answered all of these questions. You then know that you are both committed to living the gospel. This commitment will be a great blessing in your marriage.

Searching For the Strength of Youth

See if you can find each of these topics discussed in For the Strength of Youth.

This Month in History

June 29, 1844 Before a public funeral begins, about ten thousand Saints come to view the bodies of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum at the Mansion House in Nauvoo, Illinois. Both had been killed two days earlier at Carthage Jail. After the funeral, two decoy coffins filled with sand are buried in case mob members tried to steal or desecrate the bodies of Joseph and Hyrum. Later that evening around midnight, the coffins containing the bodies are buried secretly in the basement of the unfinished Nauvoo House.

5 Scriptures about Waking Up

We’ve Got Mail

Service Project

I really liked the story in the December 2011 New Era about LDS youth planting trees for a service project. I happened to be at that activity, and it helped me to understand how our service project affected the community.

Noah G., 14, Washington, USA

Reading the Old Testament

I am studying the Old Testament for seminary this year. At first it seemed that the gospel was so different back then. But then I read about the dedication for the temple King Solomon built (2 Chronicles 5–7). I felt the Spirit so strongly. I realized how much God loved His children then, just like He does now. Even though the times have changed, God’s gospel has remained the same and so has His love.

Esther D., 16, Georgia, USA

We love hearing from you, whether it’s sending us a message or leaving a comment online. Write to us by going online to newera.lds.org and clicking “Submit Material.”

Or you can e-mail us at newera@ldschurch.org or write to New Era 50 E. North Temple St., Rm. 2420 Salt Lake City, UT 84150-0024.